Analysis of The Reverend and The Makers- Heavyweight Champion of the World

"Heavyweight Champion of the World" is the top ten debut single by indie rock band 'The Reverend and The Makers', as well as the first single from their debut album 'The State of Things'. The song title is taken from a line in Barry Hines' book 'A Kestrel of a Knave'. The song is quite popular and has received rave reviews. The single appeared as Zane Lowe's 'Hottest Record in the World Today', and it is equally liked by fellows Radio 1 DJs Nick Kershaw and Greg James.

"Heavyweight Champion of the World" does not just tell the story of underachievers, but the majority of those who are ensnared living repetitive lives, doing "the same routine week after week", with the ironic hook "just be like everybody else", with the main character being a young boy growing up in Yorkshire (the band actually hail from Sheffield, South Yorkshire).

The music video is classified as a narrative video because the lyrics of the hit relates directly to the video itself, there are no elements of performance or concept included in the video. Therefore, because this video of the song relates to the lyrics, it is easier for the audience to identify what is going on before their eyes.

In terms of the audience, the song targets young people aged 18-24, but to an extent, it also attracts a mature audience, those who have been living repetitive lives for many years, so they have experienced what the main character is going through. Despite this proposition, the single also attracts a younger audience, who are currently unemployed, or those who are making 'ends meat', in relation to their salary because they associated themselves with the wrong people, giving them a bad image, and so a worthless occupation.

These are an example of several images that show that no matter what field you take, your surplus to living a continuous life where you go through the same stages everyday. The photos included above shows a businessman, an unemployed man, who sits on his couch all day, expecting his wife to do all the cooking and cleaning, whilst he watches TV, and also a Maths professor. They all have different levels of respect, intelligence and wage income, but they all go through the same phases of their job every day.

(This close up shot illustrates how bored the main character is, in this scene Jon McClure seems uninterested, on his own, with no one else occupying the pub he is currently located at. His face is also cushioned by his left hand which is a typical sign of tedium)

We see many close ups of the main character and also lead singer of The Reverend and the Makers, John McClure wearing different attire, due to the different jobs people have, although they still go through the same routine every week. The close up shots emphasises the emotions he is going through, and it is also a message to us, albeit negative one, that no matter what field you take in the future, it is inevitable that you will experience repetitive lives. The only difference would be upon wages, and those who earn the most would ultimately feel like "the heavyweight champion of the world".